Referrals
Referral leakage
Referral leakage is a practice-defined term for referrals that do not reach a specified next step or destination within a stated measurement period.
Why it matters in practice
Organizations may use the term for different situations, such as a referral not being scheduled, not being completed, or moving outside an intended network. Any rate needs a clear denominator, timeframe, and completion rule before comparisons are meaningful.
Example
Illustrative example: a clinic counts a referral as unresolved if it cannot confirm that the patient scheduled an appointment within the clinic's chosen follow-up window.
Learn more
AHRQ recommends tracking referrals and confirming whether a patient completed a referral; measurement definitions still need to be set by each organization.
Make Referrals Easy: Tool 21, Agency for Healthcare Research and QualityRelated Diagna page
See the relevant product page for information about Diagna’s workflow offering.
Referral management